IDF units in charge of thwarting and dealing with potential attacks involving weapons of mass destruction are ill-prepared, State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman said Monday in a report reviewing the Israel military's war readiness.
"The use of chemical weapons in wartime has been a known threat for many years. During the civil war in Syria, starting in 2011, the Syrian regime used chemical weapons against rebels and against civilians," Englman wrote in the report, according to Channel 12 News.
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"Other countries are also grappling with this threat, including the US military, which considers it a significant and complex challenge," he noted, adding that "the Ground Forces, as well as the units in charge of thwarting and dealing with attacks using weapons of mass destruction, have been found to be ill-prepared."
Englman's review, which covered a period stretching between June 2019 and February 2020, noted that the training offered to several units, including those engaged in border security, on how to inspect and handle potential chemicals "falls below the standard.
"Previous comptroller reports, published in 2014 and 2016, also warned that the IDF was underprepared for the event of a chemical attack on the Israeli home front, despite the fact that the "use of chemical weapons in war has been a known threat for many years."
"Other militaries are struggling with this threat, including the US military, which views it as a significant and complex challenge," the report said.
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Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir "should institute a process to ensure that deficiencies are addressed," Englman recommended.
Commenting on the issue in an interview in May, Zamir said the military would review its chemical-weapons as part of the IDF's five-year work plan, saying any changes would be funded to the extent that resources were available given the IDF's other pressing priorities.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
